


Rippling

by faeliya



Category: Free!
Genre: F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-10-08
Updated: 2013-10-08
Packaged: 2017-12-28 20:35:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,180
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/996398
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/faeliya/pseuds/faeliya
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which Haruka is a literature junior and Makoto is an oceanography junior. The two meet in a research lab and Makoto shows Haruka a world he's never seen and will never ever forget.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Rippling

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Hana no Mizo Shiru](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/28782) by Takarai Rihito. 



> Based of off Hana no Mizo Shiru, loose references and interpretations used from Takarai-sensei's works—all credits to her.

**Sept 30 . Junior Yr**

Their first meeting was an unexpected coincidence that left Makoto confused for days about the erratic beating of his heart, warmth swelling in his chest, and contingent thoughts of those startling  _blue_  eyes. They were like sapphires that glistened in the light and the angle in which the light reflected from them left Makoto breathless.

Although it was only brief, Makoto felt like their gaze froze time for aeons. So when the blue-eyed male looked away from him to retrieve his materials, it took a moment for Makoto to compose himself and look away in embarrassment from having stared so much after they collided and fell, scattering papers everywhere and books upturned. Collecting himself, Makoto quickly helped pick up the papers and books on the dirt floor, occasionally glancing at other male doing the same.

Nanase Haruka. Makoto heard a lot about him, mostly from his juniors and female friends. Even his girlfriend often compared her lacking self to the beautiful male. Glancing briefly at the crouching student, Makoto couldn't deny the rumors. Nanase was indeed a beauty, a traditional one too, with straight, flat hair that framed his diamond-shaped face, leaving a rebel strand to fall in-between his sapphire orbs. His features were delicate and smooth, with a slight sharpness to his high cheekbones and chin. Even his physique was small and lithe, though Makoto noticed his defined muscles when they both reached for the same paper. Green clashed with blue.

Once again, Makoto was mesmerized by those deep oceanic orbs and couldn't help but think about how pretty Nanase would be as a female. Blushing instantly at his perverse thoughts, Makoto's hand grasping the last paper retreated to cover his reddening face. Nanase threw a questioning glance at his behavior, but promptly ignored it as he tucked the last sheet of paper in-between his arms. As he rose into a standing position, Nanase tucked a strand of hair behind his ear out of habit or gesture and Makoto blushed even more, cascading his head down to hide his blushing face as he stood. 

There were rumors about Nanase bewitching male students and professors, earning him bad reputation with the faculty and students alike. Makoto never believed in rumors, only words spoken from the person themselves, but at this moment, Makoto couldn't help but believe that particular gossip. Refusing to be bewitched, Makoto stiffened—shoulders taut, eyes sown shut, and arms around the papers tightening and crushing.

Makoto flinched when a hand brushed against his forearm, startling him from his thoughts. A head shorter than Makoto, Nanase was able to tuck himself underneath the green-eyed male to retrieve his stack of materials from the said brunette's arms. Eyes now open, Makoto could tell the blue-eyed male was eyeing the bundle of papers and books in his arms and jumped back to bow down in apology, but instead ended up smacking his forehead on the crown of Nanase's head.

"Oi!" A deep voice reprimanded.

Makoto looked down as he rubbed his forehead, seeking the person who addressed him. Nanase was glaring up at him with a fierce expression that was unrelenting and unforgiving. Makoto could only gulp. 

'His voice is deeper than I thought... It almost doesn't match...' Makoto found himself thinking, thoughts completely occupied by the person in front of him.

Nanase stepped back, to avoid being injured again, and held out his hand. Makoto blinked in response. Heaving a frustrated sigh, Nanase's eyes flickered between the papers and books still in Makoto's arms and face. Embarrassed by his airheadedness, Makoto rubbed the back of his neck in an apologetic gesture and finally handed Nanase his materials. Whether he was thankful or not, Makoto could not tell with a brief nod of his head after having checked the newly obtained stacks of paper.

There wasn't even a word of gratitude expressed as Nanase coldly brushed past him, ignoring his presence altogether, and continuing towards the research building. Makoto's eyes followed his figure until he disappeared from his peripherals.

Nanase Haruka was like a tsunami that came sweeping by and wrecking havoc in Tachibana Makoto's heart and mind.

 

✄--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------✍

**Oct 22 . Junior Yr**

His girlfriend, Kanata Mariko, is a petite and open-minded person. About a head and a half shorter than his frame with dyed-blonded locks and chocolate eyes, she is a shy and sweet lady. They've been going out for three years now, since the start of their 1st year in university, and met at a mixer his seniors forced him to attend.

Mariko was also forced by her friends to attend and the two got along well during the party enough to exchange addresses. From then on, their relationship just eased into a romantic one. Although their universities were different, they made time to meet on the weekends or during lunch to eat together. Makoto usually made their bentos, but after much pestering from his girlfriend about social norms—that he'll never understand—Mariko ended up making their lunches. Albeit shy at first, since her cooking was not on par with her boyfriends, Makoto found it cute and assured her it was good.

Nearing the beginning of their junior year, Mariko and Makoto found themselves swamped with school and work, as well as potential research and internship opportunities, and promised each other to focus on their own workload and meet up whenever both were free and not overworked. Makoto smiled in agreement and made sure to always text or call his girlfriend to tell her his feelings and wish her 'good night' or 'good morning.' It was a routine that the two eventually melded into for six months.

 

✄--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------✍

**April 8 . Junior Yr**

Makoto landed himself a research opportunity lead by one of his previous professors, Hatake Ikuro. There were many research openings, but this particular study was the only one able to conform to his schedule. He had work early in the morning at a local 24-hr grocery store, then classes spread across noon and late into the evenings. When he wasn't in class, he was helping out with the research. Sometimes he would cover his fellow co-workers' shift—unable to say 'no'—and end up having to work late into the night. It was days like those that left him tired and drained. 

His family was willing to pay for his college expenses, but Makoto vehemently refused, wanting to pay everything by his own means and gains. His parents were worried at first, since he was attending university in Tokyo—far away from his hometown in Iwami—with no close relatives nearby. However, after the first few months along with constant emails and calls from his family, everything was settled and his parents were relieved that their son was doing well.

His landlord was nice enough to give Makoto a discount on his apartment for having helped him tidy up the neighborhood and babysit his granddaughter, so he was able to save a little every month with his low-paying job. His girlfriend had proposed the idea of them moving in together, but Makoto kindly declined her offer, deciding that it was best for the both of them to remain where they were—it would be more convenient for them to be closer to their job and school instead of catching the light rail or bus. Mariko was disappointed at her boyfriend's reply, but understood where he was coming from and never brought it up again.

Hatake-sensei's other researchers were graduating soon and resigned in late February to focus on the EJU as well as other researches that they prioritized. In the end, it was just Makoto collecting the data and analyzing it, sometimes with the help of his professor. Hatake-sensei was a busy person, teaching graduate students, running four other researches, and attending world conferences, so he was always in and out of their particular lab often. Makoto remembered the professor being friendly and helpful during his second year, always guiding him through his transition from a unpopulated town to a metropolitan city as well as university life. Regretfully, Hatake-sensei and Makoto never spoke often—but when they did it was nice and the old man had a good humor.

 

✄--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------✍

**April 17 . Junior Yr**

"Tachibana." Hatake-sensei greeted as he walked through the double-doors of their lab.

Said male looked up from his microscope and smiled, "Morning, sensei."

Hatake-sensei sat down next to his former student and studied his work, nodding every once in awhile while he rubbed his chin. Makoto posture turned rigid, nervous about his work being scrutinized in front of him.

"Hmm... Good good. Your work is always thorough and consistent, Tachibana." Hatake-sensei praised, setting the papers back on the table top as he folded his arms on his lap.

"T-thank you." Makoto replied, relaxing his tensed form and smiling softly.

"But it must get exhausting and boring with just you in here, huh?" Hatake-sensei asked, his gaze fixed on the ceiling as he spun around in his chair.

"Uhmm... Not really. I like the work, it's interesting and engaging." Makoto responded as he stood up from his position to clean the microscope slide.

"Well, doesn't sound like you're against it then!" Hatake-sensei concluded, standing up as he bounded around the room.

"E-eh?" Makoto inquired, shutting the sink off and staring at his research professor.

"I have another helper coming in today to help us. He's an english major, but he's pretty good at tasks like these, so don't worry too much." Hatake-sensei informed, sorting through some papers on his messy desk.

"Oh... I.. A-am I not, working, fast, enough?" Makoto dared asked, fidgeting a bit in his spot.

"Nonsense, Tachibana! Like I said, you do a great job! I've just got some new data coming in that will be hard on only one researcher, so I recruited someone. Oh! I'm also assigning you as the head research assistant for this study, so you'll have to do the field research on my part next week." Hatake-sensei exclaimed, excited and chipper than usual.

"Huh? What? Y-you mean to s-s-say—

_*SHATTER!*_

Makoto and Hatake-sensei paused in their conversation to look at the intruder. Makoto's breath caught, his heart palpitating, and eyes widening.

"..."

"I told you I couldn't carry it all..." Haruka stated, glaring at Hatake-sensei from the door frame.

The old man laughed heartily and moved towards the blue-eyed male, taking a few test tube holders from Haruka's arms and setting them on the nearby counter.

"Stiff as always, Nanase!" Hatake-sensei commented, slapping the man in the back out of jest.

Haruka rolled forward, about to fall with the other test tubes tipping out of place, but Makoto dashed forward to catch the male. Makoto's form stabilized him, his shoulders bumping against Haruka's to steady him and arm coiling around his waist to anchor him. Out of reflex, Haruka gripped Makoto's lab coat to ground himself as he tightened his hold on the test tube holders.

Hatake-sensei backed away from his two research assistants and grinned evilly, "Nice catch, Tachibana."

"Sensei!" Makoto exclaimed, voice rising in a shrill exasperation.

Hatake-sensei could only laugh nervously before sliding out of the room. Makoto sighed at his research professor's childishness and looked down to appraise his new company. Haruka was still leaning into him, his forehead resting on his shoulder. The two of them remained in that position for awhile, until Makoto pushed the blue-eyed beauty away from him and nervously looked around, "N-nice day today, h-huh?"

'What am I saying?!' Makoto internally screamed, sweating profoundly too.

"Thanks," Haruka spoke, turning away briefly to place the test tube holders down on the counter, "He's always leaving me to do the miscellaneous jobs."

"I know what you mean." Makoto laughed, pulling his lab coat sleeves up in a fidgety manner.

Haruka spared a glance at the brunette, then boldly approached the taller male—looking him up and down, "Have we met before?"

Makoto blushed, his mind searching for a reply, 'Yes, we have! I bumped into you last semester and have been thinking about you all this time!'

"N-n-n-no! T-this is o-our first m-meeting!" Makoto replied, every word coming out becoming an unbelievable lie.

Haruka gave him a skeptic look, before stepping back and inspecting his surroundings. The silence that remained in the room was almost unbearable and Makoto swore he was about to lose it with all the tension and silence in the room.

"...You probably heard everything from sensei, so I'll take my leave." Haruka interjected the silence, looking at Makoto head on, before turning to leave.

"W-w-w-what? You're leaving? Just like that?!" Makoto exclaimed, grabbing Haruka's shirt sleeve to stop him.

Exerting to much strength, the taller male ended up yanking Haruka off-balance and into his arms. The two males froze for a brief moment, Haruka being the first to pull away.

"Nanase Haruka. You've probably heard about me. Ok, bye." Haruka introduced, turning to face Makoto—expression and voice devoid of any emotion—only to turn his back towards the research assistant and walk off again.

Makoto sighed, not stopping the shorter male this time, 'How was he suppose to get along with the university's most unsocial and beautiful undergraduate?'

 

✄--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------✍

**April 20 . Junior Yr**

_"THE Nanase Haruka?!"_ Mariko exclaimed, voice giddy and curious.

"Mn. Hatake-sensei recruited him for our research study." Makoto repeated, cellphone nestled between his ear and shoulder as he prepared dinner for two.

_"What's he like?"_

Makoto paused in his chopping, switching his phone to the other ear as he contemplated the answer—

_The past few mornings, after running into Nanase-san again, has made Makoto dread going to his research lab. To be honest, he didn't know how to act around the black-haired male. He was unsocial and always had a blank or disinterested expression that made it difficult to understand his mood or thoughts. His hair seldom covered his eyes too, so Makoto could never get a hint of what was going through Nanase-san's head._

_Hatake-sensei assured Makoto that Haruka was easy to get along with, it just took awhile for the quiet male to open up. Makoto tried not to take Haruka's coldness to heart, but the taller male couldn't help but feel hated with the treatment the shorter male was giving him._

_Whenever it was lunch time too, Haruka remained glued to the microscope or specimen tank. Makoto's never seen him eat or leave for a break of some sort. He's also never seen any friends drop by to greet him or ask about his well-being. The only time he would look up from his work was when Makoto dared to ask him a question or start a casual conversation with him. Most of the time, Haruka would ignore him, but sometimes he'd give the leaner man a long look before either turning away and ignoring the question or actually answering it._

_"Nanase-san, I've finished my batch. You can go ahead and run it." Makoto informed, sliding his agar plate towards Haruka._

_Haruka continued to ignore him, eyes glued to the microscope as his left hand wrote random numbers and equations flawlessly._

_Makoto sighed, 'I guess I can take a break then.'_

_Standing up to stretch and knead the kinks in his shoulders, Makoto glanced at the clock to assess the time. 12:04 PM._

_'I should probably call Mari-chan.'_

_Grabbing his cellphone, Makoto edged his way towards the equipment room to seclude himself._

_"I'm sorry. The number you have reached is currently—"_

_Makoto sighed, hitting the end button. Perhaps she was busy with a project. She did mention last week about have a big assignment due next week. Not wanting to return to the tense work station with his lab partner, Makoto decided to grab a snack from one of the vending machines in the lobby downstairs._

_Makoto glanced at Haruka briefly as he walked by. The male was still in the same position. As quietly as possible, Makoto made his way towards the exit and took the stairs down to the lounge area. He ended up meeting an old colleague there and the two conversed for a long time._

_When Makoto glanced at the clock, 3:52 PM, he quickly excused himself to return to the research lab. It was only suppose to be a 15-20 minute break, but Makoto completely lost track of time and ended up conversing with his colleague for almost FOUR hours. Haruka probably left already in exasperation and somehow that left a bad taste in Makoto's mouth._

_When Makoto entered the lab, he was shocked to find the place empty and tidied up. Their equipment was turned off and cleaned, along with the platelets and test tubes, and specimens returned to their proper tanks. Haruka was nowhere in sight too. Walking towards his desk, Makoto found a note—_

_"I finished up today's tasks, so I went home."_

_Makoto frowned. Haruka? Finished their work? Not that he doubted the man's work, but finishing their tasks in four hours, by himself? Was impossible. A thorough worker, Makoto turned the microscope and CHN back on to check Haruka's work._

_After a few hours, 5:29 PM, Makoto was impressed. Not only was Haruka's work accurate, but it was also organized and detail-oriented. Albeit guilty for having suspected his partner's work and neglecting work himself, Makoto promised to thank the black-haired male tomorrow, as well as apologize for abandoning him._

"He's a bit cold, but I think he means no hard feelings." Makoto replied, resuming his chopping, satisfied with his answer.

 _"Really?"_  Mariko sounded genuinely surprised by his answer.

"Yeah. Why?" Makoto asked, eyebrows scrunching in confusion.

 _"Well... My colleagues say he's really cruel..."_  His girlfriend trailed off.

"Hmmm..."

 _"Uhm, well, you know Arisa-chan, right?"_  Mariko hesitantly began.

"Yeah?"

_"While she was talking with her friends, he suddenly snickered at her. Arisa-chan is very easy to get along, so I don't know what could've triggered such a reaction, but it left her upset for days."_

"...I'm sure it was just a misunderstanding." Makoto assured.

_"Yeah... I hope so. Just be careful, Mako-kun."_

"Why's that?" Makoto hummed, tossing the chopped vegetables into his stew.

_"Nanase-san... I... I heard he's notorious for sleeping with men... There was also an inci—"_

"Mariko." Makoto reprimanded, hating when his girlfriend brought up unnecessary and derogatory rumors.

 _"I-I-I know you don't like it when I bring stuff like this up, but I was worried when I heard you were working with Nanase-san! I just recently found out about a scandal he was involved in, and I'm just worried you'll be dragged into his issues since... Since... You're nice, and can't leave people alone..."_  Mariko explained, her voice cracking towards the end.

Makoto heaved a sigh, "I understand. I'll keep my guard up, ok?"

Makoto could hear his girlfriend sniffing in the other side, probably near tears because of his outburst and her mindless, incessant worries,  _"Ok, thank you, and sorry, Makoto."_

Makoto smiled fondly and told her of his affections, in which she returned shyly. The two remained on the line until Mariko reached his apartment safely. It had been awhile since they last saw each other.

 

✄--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------✍

**April 24 . Junior Yr**

Makoto would not know about the  _'incident'_  his girlfriend was referring to until much later.

_12:46 PM_

"Makoto! You in?" Kitani Jirou barged in, expression severe and grave.

Haruka looked up from his work, glaring at the intruder. Jirou's amber orbs widened upon seeing Haruka, "Heh, Nanase Haruka? What are you doing here?"

Jirou's tone was teasing and accusing as he approached the blue-eyed male. Haruka's frame stiffened when Jirou inched towards him, expression turning annoyed in less than a second.

"Don't give me that look. That incident was all your fault." Jirou addressed, his tone taking on an angry pitch as he glared at the shorter male.

Haruka snorted, "You don't even know the whole story."

The fire was lit. Jirou lifted Haruka off his feet, fisting his lab coat and sputtering in the helpless male's face, "Don't even start, you  _homo_."

Haruka's face remained blank as ever and Jirou swung at him. The force of the punch sent Haruka sprawling on the floor, blooding spilling from his split lip and bit tongue. Jirou's body heaved from his uncontrollable rage and irregular breathing.

"How many guys, huh? Is ten not enough? No, thirty? That you had to lure Hisato into your game?" Jirou questioned, throwing his hands up in the air and gesturing randomly out of anger.

Haruka sat up, spitting on Jirou's shoes, "Keep talking, I'm listening."

Jirou's amber orbs turned crimson, "You manwhore!"

_*THWAK!*_

 

✄--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------✍

**April 24 . Junior Yr**

_1:28 PM_

Makoto smiled briefly in recollection, having just met up with his girlfriend for a quick lunch break. The two of them ate at the park nearby and it was the perfect weather and season for it. He promised Nanase-san he'd be back before 2:00 PM, but left early—Mariko needed to catch the bus early in order to reach her classes on time. Upon approaching the research lab, Makoto noticed the lights were off.

'Did he finish early again?'

Pushing the door open, Makoto switched the lights on, immediately noticing the neon blue sticky note attached to his microscope.

_"Something came up, sorry."_

Makoto blinked at the short note. Nanase-san didn't talk much about his personal life, so Makoto understood and respected the male's confidentiality—but he could've at least explained a little, it left Makoto with a bad gut feeling.

When Makoto opened his drawer to place the sticky note in there, he noticed a red splotch on the floor. How careless, did they waste bromine when purifying the water tank today? Grabbing a paper towel, Makoto bent down to wipe the liquid of the floor, surprised when it didn't leave a stain behind. Bromine usually left behind a slight browning stain, but there wasn't any apparent signs of discoloration.

Taking a closer look at the paper towel and then the floor, Makoto noticed a few more red splotches a ways away. Stepping away to allow the light to filter the area, Makoto noticed it was not a reddish-orange-brown color like bromine, but a much darker red.

'Almost like blood...'

Makoto's eyes widened and he dug into his pocket for his phone, pausing when he realized that he didn't have Nanase-san's phone number. Worried, Makoto paced around the room.

'Did Nanase-san hurt himself? Is he alright? What happened? Where is he? Is it a major wound?'

Makoto could not stop his thoughts and dug through his contacts for Hatake-sensei's phone number.

_*Riiing, riiiiiiing, riiing*_

_"Hello? Hatake Ikuro, speaking."_

_"_ Hello? Sensei? I-I-I'm sorry to bother you, but do you happen to know Nanase-san's number?"

"Yes, I do. You guys didn't exchange numbers?"

"Uhh... Well... It's a bit complicated..."

"Ah, I see. Well, if he didn't formerly give it to you then I'm not sure if he'd be comfortable with me giving his number out." Hatake-sensei laughed.

"Oh... Uhm, I understand... Sorry to bother you."

"Don't worry about it! You should ask for his number next time!"

"H-hai."

Makoto ended the call, arms going lax.

 

✄--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------✍

**April 24 . Junior Yr**

Hatake-sensei sighed, placing his phone on the counter as he sat on the stool next to Haruka, "Are you sure you don't want to tell Tachibana about this?"

Haruka frowned and glared at Hatake-sensei, "Did you not hear me the first time?"

"Ok ok. I understand, I understand." Hatake-sensei repeated, hands posing into a defensive stance.

Haruka looked away from his research professor and sighed, shoulders slumping as he slouched a little. Telling Tachibana would just complicate things, and Haruka didn't need that added into the equation of his bullshit fuckery.

"...What about Rin?" Hatake-sensei asked.

Haruka whirled around to glare at his sensei—respect be damned—his gaze a burning sapphire, "Don't. You. Dare."

Hatake-sensei gulped and nodded, "Alright, alright. We won't—I won't tell him anything about this incident.

"He probably has enough trouble on his hands with the Olympics coming up and an infamous boyfriend sleeping around." Hatake-sensei rambled, ignoring the death glare that was sent his way.

"They're  _just_  rumors. I'm—

_'I'm what? Not like that?'_

Haruka paused, worrying his lips. Who would believe him? Hatake-sensei was only looking after him for Rin's sake, a favor from the redhead— _"Keep an eye on him."_ He had no friends in Todai or Tokyo for that matter. Rin. He only knew Rin. His teammates were familiar with him, but Haruka never bothered to learn their names, and Rin disliked him being around his teammates or training grounds for that matter. In truth, there was no one who would listen to him, his side of the story. Even Rin went berserk upon hearing the rumor, ignoring Haruka for days until they had  _'makeup_  sex.'

Would anyone even  _listen_  to what he had to say?

Haruka chuckled, the irony of it all. Fisting his hair, the male leaned his elbows on the counter as his head came crashing afterwards—

—Haruka stopped believing that a long time ago, surrendering himself to the silence and abuse of others.


End file.
